Lead pencil



J. B. MASON, JR.

LEAD PENCIL.

APPLICATION FILED APILSO. 1921.

2,239. Pat med Jan, 3,1922,

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LEAD PENCIL.

1,41%2239. Specification of Application filed April 30,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, James Bnucnidason, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lead Penv oils, of which the. following is specification.

This invention relates to lead pencils of the kind inv which the lead is contained within a casing and is propelled or fed when re quired through a suitable guide and through a pointed end or nozzle in such manner that the outer end of the lead may project only a short distance beyond the tip of the nozzle, so that while sufficiently exposed for writing purposes, it is not apt to break. Pencils of this general class have heretofore been provided with a magazine in which spare leads are stored in order that when one lead has been worn out or nearly worn out, another may be automatically brought into working position. In this class of pencils the lead in use has generally been propelled by a pusher rod, fed forward by a screw threaded connection between the rod and the barrel or a tube within the barrel, and the construetion has generally been such that before a fresh lead can be brought into position for use it has been necessary to slowly retract the pusher rod. Generally also the leads are delivered from themagazine by a rotary movement given to the magazine by a spring.

The object of my present invention is'to simplify the construction of automatic me chanical pencils, to render them more accurate in operation and to provide means whereby the slow retracting movement of the pusher may be avoided.

In carrying out my invention instead of providing a rotary magazine, I hold it in fixed position and I associate with the magazine a feeder held under spring. tension which operates to movethe leads successively from the magazine into line. with a pusher. I have radically departed from the old way of propelling the lead through. the tip of the pencilas I employ two pushers which are movable-in opposite directionswhen one is moved forward the other is moved in the opposite direction, and the construction is such that when one pusher is feeding a lead through the pencil point, the other is moved inward toward the position where it may engage a fresh lead as soon as delivered'from the magazine. The manner in which this is done will be hereinafter 'decribed.

Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 192.2.

1921. Serial No. 465,659.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows alongitudinal central sectlon through an automatic magazine pencil embodylng my improvements. 7

The remaining figures are on an enlarsred scale.

Figure 2 shows a section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3, a section on the line 33 of F1 gure l, and 1 li gure 4, a section on the line "t at.

i igure 5 is a perspective view showing the two pusher rods, the half-round nuts and the guide for the nuts.

, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the le; d feeder, showing the springwith which it is connected and the plug to which one end of the spring is secured.

The barrel A of the pencil may be made of suitable metal or other material. It is provided with a tapered point B which is hollow and is detachably connected with the barrel at Z). lVit-hin the tube is secured at c a hollow plug C which has a central threaded opening which receives the threaded end (Z of a guide tube D slotted at its lower end (Z as indicated in Figure 1. The tube is formed with a kerf or slot at its inner end (Z to receive a screw driver or similar tool, by means of which it may be driven into the block C. By adjusting the tube it may be made to grip the lead V more or less tightly. It will be observed that the lower end of the tube bears against the inclined inner walls of the point.

The opposite end of the barrel A. carries a collar E formed with a shoulder e, on which rests a cap F which is removable from the collar. The collar is free toturn on the barrel but it is secured at g toa tube G which rotatesin the barrel. This tube. is provided with right and left screw threads 9. It extends from the upper or outer end of the collar E to a hollow plug H locates about midway between the ends of the barrel. A rubbereraser T is placed-in the upper or outer end of the threaded tube G and held securely therein bythe screw threads. It is protected by the removable cap F.

Below the rubber eraser I there is a disc K which fits the tube Gr tightly and rotates therewith. It is attached by means of a screw 72 to a. cylindrical block L which fits loosely in the tube G- and does not move therewith. It will be observed that the disc Kmay rotate around the smooth portion of the screw. The block L carries a guide plate M (Fig. 5) for the half-round nuts N and O, which engage the screw threads of the tube G. This guide plate is secured at m to the block L and it extends into the plug H to which it is secured by a in h (Fig. 3).

The half-round nut g is formed with a right-hand screw thread and the half-round nut O with a left-hand thread. These nuts engage the threads g of the tube G. The nut N carries a pusher rod n and the nut O a pusher rod 0. These pusher rods are halfround or segmental in cross section, as 1ndicated in Figures 2, 3 and 4, and they are disposed with their flat faces toward each other and at an angle with each other. The two rods extend into the slot m of the guide plate M and the fiat faces of the nuts N and O bear against the opposite sides of this plate. When the collar J is turned, the nuts N and O are moved in opposite directions to the same extent and correspondingl move the pusher rods.

T e magazine for spare leads V is formed in a tube Q and in a space surrounding the tube. The tube Q has a central opening q in line with the central longitudinal axis of the pencil and this opening connects with a slot 9' extending to the outside of the tube and connects with the space between the tube and the barrel. A blade Q is secured to the outside of the tube Q on one side of the slot This tube Q extends from the block into which it projects to the plug C and projects into a recess therein and it is secured thereto. The lower inner end wall of the tube is tapered at g for the purpose of centering the lead as it enters the guide tube D. The tube Q is fixed to the lug H and doesnot rotate.

Associate with the tube Q is a lead feeder R, comprising two rings 1', r connected by a rod S. The upper ring 1' is connected by a coiled spring T with the stationary plug H and the lower rin r is formed with an opening 7* into whic the inclined lower end 8 of the rod extends. The feeder is adapted to turn about the axis of the tube Q, when the magazine is being fille l and when a fresh lead is being moved to working position.

In order to fill the magazine, the tip or point B is removed from the barrel and leads, one at a time, are inserted through the opening 1" in the rin 1" The inner end of the lead bears against the incline s of the feeder bar S and the feeder is turned to a small extent to make room for the lead. As soon as the lead is fully inserted, it takes the position shown at a: in Figure 4 against the outer one of three leads which are alread in the magazine. Other leads may be in li e manner inserted until the magazine is filled. This operation winds up spring T and the feeder is thus held under tension.

Assuming that the pusher rod 0 is moved outward to its full extent as shown in Figure 1, the other pusher rod 12. will be at the limit of its upward movement over a lead V in working position. If now the collar E be roperly turned, the lead under the pus or n will be fed forward through the tube Q and out through the point of the pencil. As soon as the pusher rod 11 has moved upward or downward to its full extent, the movement of the collar E may be reversed and then the pusher rod 0 will propel the lead.

It will be observed by reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4 that the pusher rods n do not extend over the central longitudinal axis of the pencil, but each is arranged to one side thereof and operates to one side of this central axis. The lead, however, is propelled forward and it is ided into central position by the tapere end g of the tube Q. This is illustrated in Figure 1.

I have thus provided an automatic or mechanical pencil which is provided with an erasive rubber protected by a cap and which contains a lar number of spare leads. When the magazine is filled, the leads are automatically and successively brought into working position and the pencil tip or point need not be removed for a long period or until all of the leads have been used. When one of the leads is used up, another lead may be brought into use by a very simple operation of reversin the movement of the operating collar. fins operation is immediate or instantaneous and does not involve a slow retractive movement of the pusher rod. This feature of the invention has been found in actual practice to be of great value and it is believed to be entirely new in this class of pencils.

I claim as my invention:

1. An automatic pencil provided with a ma azine for spare leads, means for moving lea s successively from the magazine to working position, means for propelling or pushing a lead forward, and means for operating the pusher by a turning movement in op osite directions.

2. n automatic pencil, comprising a magazine for spare leads, means for bringing leads successively into position for use, and pushing mechanism comprising two pusher rods and means for moving these rods in opposite directions while propelling a lead through the pencil.

3. An automatic pencil, com rising a magazine for spare leads, means or bringing the leads successively into position for use and propelling means for the lead comprising two pusher rods and means for moving these ro s at the same time in opposite directions to the same extent.

4. An automatic pencil, comprising a magazine for spare leads, means for bringi ing leads from the magazine into position for use, and propelling mechanism for the leads, comprising pusher rods a threaded tube, nuts engaging the tube and connected with the pusher rods, and means for turning the tube to move the pusher rods at the same time in opposite directions.

5. An automatic pencil, comprising a magazine for spare leads, a rotary feeder associated with the magazine for moving leads to position for use, and means for propelling the leads, comprising two members, and means for moving them at the same time in opposite directions while one is operating to propel a load and the other is moving to position to operate upon a fresh lead.

6. An automatic pencil, comprising a barrel, a magazine for "spare leads therein, means for bringing fresh leads from the magazine to a position for use, a threaded tube, pusher rods Within the tube, nuts to which the rods are secured and which engage the threaded tube, and means for turning said threaded tube.

7. In an automatic pencil, a threaded tube, pusher rods within the tube, nuts to which the rods are secured and which engage the threaded tube, and a guide plate for the nuts.

8. In an automatic pencil, a threaded tube, halfround nuts engaging the tube, pusher rods secured to the nuts, and a slotted guide plate for the nuts.

9. In an automatic pencil, a tube provided with right and left screw threads, halfround nuts engaging the threaded tube, a guide plate for the nuts, and pusher rods carried by the nuts.

10. In an automatic pencil, a threaded tube, half-round nuts engaging the threaded tube, pusher rods attached to the nuts, a

slotted guide plate for the nuts, means for holding the slotted guide plate against rotation, and means for rotating the threaded tube.

11. In an automatic pencil, a magazine comprising a tube having a central opening provided at its lower end with inclined walls for centering a lead and with a slot in its side, a rotary spring-pressed feeder for moving leads successively into working position, and means for propelling leads through said tube.

12. In an automatic pencil, a magazine comprising a tube having a central opening tapered at its lower end and slotted at its side, a spring-pressed feeder for moving leads through the slotted side toward the central opening of the tube, two pusher rods operating in said central opening, and means for moving said pusher rods in opposite directions at the same time.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JAMES BRUCE MASON, JR. 

